3 takeaways from Wisconsin Herd’s victory over the Fort Wayne Mad Ants

Success in the paint was key to the Wisconsin Herd’s victory over Fort Wayne

While the 3-point shots were not falling for them, the Herd managed to secure a 12-point victory. In fact, Wisconsin was unable to make a 3-point shot in the first quarter. Despite difficulties from beyond the arc, the Herd made up for it with their scoring in the paint.

Whether it be high flying dunks, hook shots from the bigs, or driving to the rim, the Herd found their groove by getting the close shots to go. Rayjon Tucker and Jalen Lecque were two strong players in the restricted area. Both players were flying high for dunks and driving to the rim with ease. Lecque finished with 10 points on 71 percent shooting due to his excellence in the paint as he remains a player to keep an eye on this season. As for Tucker, he finished with an impressive 19 points on 54 percent shooting. Both players were instrumental in moving the needle for the Herd in their comeback victory.

Other players such as Jemerrio Jones, Wenyen Gabriel, and Georgios Kalaitzakis found success in the paint. Kalaitzakis, a rookie from Greece, excelled in transition for the Herd. His speed was on display and he was largely responsible for the Herd’s success during the fastbreak. Jones also made his presence known as he contributed 10 points, all of which came in the paint. All in all, the Herd were dominant in the paint as they overcame a poor 21 percent 3-point percentage.

The Herd certainly struggled in getting their deep shots to fall. However, they made up for it in their strong play in the paint. The 3-point shooting woes were uncharacteristic, but the Herd should feel confident in their abilities to dominate inside going forward.